Vinuity Adds 50 IT Jobs Based at Southeast Innovation Center

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., Jan. 26, 2016 — The Missouri Department of Economic Development today announced that Vinuity, an IT services company, is adding 50 jobs over the next three years in Cape Girardeau that will be based out of the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Southeast Missouri State University.

“Vinuity is a unique company that’s not just creating jobs—it’s creating opportunities for those graduating from the University to find careers locally,” said Mike Downing, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. “We’re proud to support Vinuity’s expansion because it helps further cultivate Missouri’s rich tech ecosystem.”

The announcement comes shortly after the state was named No. 1 in new business creation by the U.S. Census Bureau and a Top 10 state for startup funding by Forbes. Missouri has added more than 10,800 IT jobs since 2010.

The company will use a combination of existing area tech talent, student workers on the path to official degrees and certifications in the field and underemployed individuals to fill the positions.

Vinuity will actively recruit in the rural areas surrounding Cape Girardeau, and employees have the possibility of working from home.

“Nationally there’s this general trend of so-called ‘brain drain’ from rural areas—Vinuity’s expansion takes that head on by supporting highly skilled, technical jobs in IT right here,” said Crystal Jones, interim director of the Institute for Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Southeast, which oversees the center. “This expansion is a good fit for the Center’s vision, which is to bring more tech-related firms to the Cape region, and we’re pleased to offer support in terms of space as well as services to create more high-tech jobs in Missouri.”

The Missouri Innovation Corporation is one of 10 state-supported innovation centers across Missouri, and it’s also housed within the Douglas C. Greene Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Such innovation centers help high-tech entrepreneurs commercialize their technologies by assisting them with strategies for technology commercialization, business development and access to capital.

To assist Vinuity with its expansion in Cape Girardeau, the Missouri Department of Economic Development has offered a strategic economic incentive package that the company can receive if it meets strict job creation criteria.

“Our vision is to keep American IT talent working,” said Lonnie McMinn, president of Vinuity. “Tapping into the talent pipeline in a more rural area gives us a unique advantage in serving our clients, and this creates highly-skilled jobs that might not otherwise be in the community.”

Vinuity started in St. Louis in 2014 to deliver technology service solutions such as professional software development, database administration and application support to clients. By operating in the Midwest, Vinuity is in the same time zone as the vast majority of its clients, which means clients can avoid international regulations that can come with performing IT services overseas.

Software development, database administration and quality assurance are the primary skills needed for the new positions. The team has top-tier talent, as well. One of Vinuity’s lead architects was on Microsoft’s team that developed the earliest versions of the .NET framework, which is prevalent in most organizations using custom applications.